Dynamically configurable balancing board

ABSTRACT

A balancing board comprises a first surface for receiving one or more feet of a user when the balancing board is in operation. The balancing board includes a second surface of one or more outwardly curved forms for engaging with a floor surface, wherein the second surface enables variations in an orientation and movement of the balancing board relative to the floor surface. The balancing board further includes a signal receiving arrangement for receiving sensor signals indicative of one or more user reactions when operating the balancing board in reaction to the variations in the orientation and movement of the balancing board. The user is supported upon the first surface of the balancing board; and a processor operable to receive signals from the first set of sensors. The processor is operable to activate one or more modes of operation of the balancing board based on the received signals.

BACKGROUND

The invention generally relates to an exercise or recreationalequipment. More specifically, the invention relates to a dynamicallyconfigurable balancing board.

A balancing board is equipment that is used for the purpose ofrecreation and exercise. The balancing board includes a platform onwhich a user can stand and a fulcrum, for example, a spherical cup, thatengages with the ground. A user stands on the platform of the balancingboard and tries to maintain his/her balance such that the platform ofthe balancing board does not touch the ground. Conventional balancingboards that are currently used are not versatile. Moreover, they are notefficient in providing an effective exercise regime to a user. There istherefore a need for a balancing board that is more versatile andefficient.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, a balancing board is provided including a firstsurface for receiving one or more feet of a user when said balancingboard is in operation, a second surface of one or more outwardly curvedforms for engaging with a floor surface when said balancing board is inoperation and providing means for varying an orientation and movement ofthe balancing board relative to the floor surface, a signal receivingarrangement for receiving one or more sensor signals indicative of oneor more user reactions when operating the balancing board in reaction tovariations in the orientation and movement of the balancing board, and aprocessor operable to receive signals from a first set of sensorsindicative of said one or more user reactions, wherein the processor isfurther operable to control means of changing a profile of the secondsurface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separateviews, and which together with the detailed description below areincorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to furtherillustrate various embodiments and to explain various principles andadvantages.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a balancing board in accordance withan example embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a balancing board in accordance with anexample embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates communication between a balancing board and anelectronic device, in accordance with an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates a lighting pattern on a first surface of a balancingboard, in accordance with an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a safety mechanism deployed by a balancing board, inaccordance with an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before describing embodiments in detail, it should be observed that theembodiments reside primarily in combinations of method steps and systemcomponents related to a dynamically configurable balancing board.Accordingly, the system components and method steps have beenrepresented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings,showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understandingthe embodiments so as not to obscure the disclosure with details thatwill be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art havingthe benefit of the description herein.

In this document, relational terms such as first and second, top andbottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity oraction from another entity or action without necessarily requiring orimplying any actual such relationship or order between such entities oractions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variationthereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that aprocess, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elementsdoes not include only those elements but may include other elements notexpressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, orapparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, withoutmore constraints, preclude the existence of additional identicalelements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprisesthe element. A set may include zero or more elements.

Various embodiments provide a balancing board comprising a first surfacefor receiving one or more feet of a user when the balancing board is inoperation, characterized by: the balancing board including a secondsurface of one or more outwardly curved forms for engaging with a floorsurface when the balancing board is in operation, wherein the secondsurface enables variations in an orientation and movement of thebalancing board relative to the floor surface; the balancing boardincluding a signal receiving arrangement for receiving one or moresensor signals indicative of one or more user reactions when operatingthe balancing board in reaction to the variations in the orientation andmovement of the balancing board, wherein the user is supported upon thefirst surface of the balancing board; and a processor operable toreceive signals from the first set of sensors indicative of the one ormore user reactions, wherein the processor is further operable toactivate one or more modes of operation of the balancing board based onthe received signals.

FIG. 1 is a side view 100 of an example balancing board 102 in use by auser 104, in accordance with an embodiment. The balancing board 102 isused by user 104 for exercising or recreation by maintaining his/herbalance while standing on top of balancing board 102. To support weightof user 104, the balancing board 102 is fabricated from one or morematerials, for example, wood, plastics material, composite fiber, metal,toughened glass or any combination thereof. The balancing board 102 maybe circular in shape. Alternatively, the balancing board 102 may haveany polygonal shape on which user 104 can stand.

The balancing board 102 includes a first surface 106 for receiving oneor more feet of the user 104 when he/she is operating the balancingboard 102. In other words, the user 104 stands on the first surface 106to operate the balancing board 106. In an embodiment, the first surface106 may be a planar surface. Alternatively, the first surface 106 may beslightly concave or convex, or even provided with a peripheral outwardlyprojecting lip feature to assist the user 104 retain his/her one or morefeet engaged onto the first surface 106. In both the cases, the firstsurface 106 may have an unsmooth texture to enable better foot tractionfor the user 104. For example, multiple small projections orindentations may be formed on the first surface 106 while molding it. Byway of another example, rubber grip mats may be fixed onto the firstsurface 106.

In addition to the first surface 106, the balancing board 102 has asecond surface 108 that includes one or more outwardly curved forms (forexample, a curved form 110, a curved form 112, and a curved form 114).Each of the curved form 110, the curved form 112, and the curved form114 may be equidistant from each other. Additionally, the curved forms110, 112, and 114 may be equidistant from a substantially central axisof the balancing board 102, wherein the central axis is substantiallyorthogonal and central to the first surface 106. In other words, thecurved forms 110, 112, and 114 may be equidistant either from thecentral axis of the balancing board 102 or from an axis offset from thecentral axis of the balancing board 102.

An outwardly curved form may be made up of an inflatable material, forexample, rubber, fabric, wire, polyvinyl chloride, or any combinationthereof. Alternatively, the outwardly curved form may be solid that ismade up of one or more materials. Examples of the one or more materialsmay include but are not limited to rubber, plastics material, wood,glass, and metal. Each of the one or more outwardly curved forms may bea spherical cap, such that the flat portion of the spherical cap isattached to second surface 108 and the spherical portion engages with afloor surface 116 onto which balancing board 102 is placed.

By engaging with the floor surface 116, the one or more outwardly curvedforms enable the user 104 to operate the balancing board 102. The one ormore curved forms act as a fulcrum to the balancing board 102 and thushelp the second surface 108 to enable variation in an orientation andmovement of the balancing board 102 relative to the floor surface 116.The orientation and movement of the balancing board 102 may be varied bysliding, rotating, tilting, or rolling it. For example, in a natural orstable position of the balancing board 102, the first surface 106 issubstantially parallel to the floor surface 116. However, variation inorientation and movement of the balancing board 102 may change the angleof the first surface 106 with respect to the floor surface 116.

Moreover, variation is orientation, movement, and acceleration of thebalancing board 102 is dependent on one or more modes of operationsselected for the balancing board 102. The one or more modes ofoperations are activated by a processor 118 included within balancingboard 102. The one or more modes of operations further include aplurality of balancing board levels, namely difficulty levels asexperienced by the user 104. Each of the balancing board levels has apredefined combination of orientation, movement, and acceleration of thebalancing board 102. For example, the balancing board 102 may have fourlevels, i.e., beginner, easy, medium, and tough. For each of theselevels, there would be a respective combination of orientation,movement, and acceleration of the balancing board 102. The beginnerlevel may have the least variations in orientation, movement, andacceleration possible for the balancing board 102, and the tough levelmay have the most extreme variations in orientation, movement, andacceleration possible for the balancing board 102, such that, the user104 would have to be an expert to maintain his/her balance on thebalancing board 102.

To activate a mode of operation of the balancing board 102 and thusenable these variations in the balancing board 102, the processor 118communicates with one or more actuators (for example, an actuator 120,an actuator 122, an actuator 124, and an actuator 126) that are providedin the balancing board 102 at multiple locations therein. Examples ofactuators for use in the balancing board 102 may include but are notlimited to motors, magnetic solenoids, motors coupled to eccentricweights and so forth. Optionally, the balancing board 102 is capable ofbeing configured to switch randomly between its plurality of modes ofoperations, with a sound signal and/light signal emitted from thebalancing board 102 when its mode of operation is randomly altered; sucha manner of operation provides additional user interest and excitement.

Based on a mode of operation selected by the processor 118, the one ormore actuators inflate or deflate a volume of gas in the one or moreoutwardly curved forms to modify orientation, movement, and accelerationof the balancing board 102. The one or more outwardly curved forms aredefined at least in part by the volume of gas under pressure filled bythe one or more actuators. In other word, the shape of the one or moreoutwardly forms is modified based on the volume of gas pumped insidethem by the one or more actuators. For example, each of the curved forms110, 112, and 114 may take the shape of a spherical cap when fullyinflated.

As an example of activation of a mode of operation of the balancingboard 102, the actuator 120 may inflate or deflate the curved form 110,the actuator 122 may inflate or deflate the curved form 112, and theactuator 124 may inflate or deflate the curved form 114. Based on themode of operation activated by the processor 118, the curved form 110,the curved form 112, and the curved form 114 may be selectively oralternatively inflated or deflated by their respective actuator so as tochange the orientation, movement, and acceleration of the balancingboard 102. In one scenario, deflation of the curved form 112 may resultin tilting of the balancing board 102 towards the floor surface 106 onthe side where the curved form 112 is located. The user 104 may thenhave to counterbalance the balancing board 102 by exerting more pressureon one or more portions of the first surface 106 that are substantiallyabove the location of the curved forms 110 and 114. In another scenario,the curved form 112 may be inflated more than the curved forms 110 and114, thereby tilting the balancing board 102 towards the floor surface106 on the side where the curved forms 110 and 114 are located. The user104 may then have to counterbalance the balancing board 102 by exertingmore pressure on one or more portions of the first surface 106, whichare substantially above the location of curved form 112.

In another embodiment, when the one or more outwardly curved forms aresolid, the one or more actuators may selectively retract or extend theone or more outwardly curved forms to enable a mode of operationactivated by the processor 118. In this case, each of the one or moreactuators may include a piston arrangement that controls extending andretracting of an associated curved form. For example, the actuator 120may retract or extend the curved form 110, the actuator 122 may retractor extend the curved form 112, and the actuator 124 may retract orextend the curved form 114. Based on the mode of operation activated bythe processor 118, the curved form 110, the curved form 112, and thecurved form 114 may be selectively or alternatively retracted orextended by their respective actuators so as to change the orientation,movement, and acceleration of the balancing board 102. In one scenario,retraction of the curved form 110 may result in tilting of the balancingboard 102 towards the floor surface 106 on the side where the curvedform 110 is located. The user 104 may then have to counterbalance thebalancing board 102 by exerting more pressure on one or more portions ofthe first surface 106, which are above the location of the curvedsurfaces 112 and 114.

One of the one or more actuators may also create vibrations in thebalancing board 102 based on a mode of operation activated. For example,the actuator 126 may create vibrations in the balancing board 102. Theactuator 126 may, for example, be an electric motor with an unbalancedmass on its driveshaft. In an embodiment, the actuator 126 may rotatethe first surface 106 independently about a substantially central axisof the balancing board 102. In other words, the first surface 106 may berotated about the central axis of the balancing board 102 or about anaxis offset from the central axis of the balancing board 102. The firstsurface 106 and the balancing board 102 may have a common central axis.

Thus, each balancing board level may also include rotation of the firstsurface 106 in addition to variation in orientation, movement, andacceleration of the balancing board 102. As a result, the user 104 willalso have to counter or manage the rotary action of the first surface106 while maintaining his/her balance. For example, the speed ofrotation of the first surface 106 may be increased with increase inbalancing board level. By way of another example, the first surface 106may be rotated in bursts. The first surface 106 may also be alternatelyrotated in clockwise and anticlockwise direction.

To maintain his/her balance on the balancing board 102 when it is inoperation, the user 104 has to counter the variations created inorientation, movement, and acceleration of the balancing board 102.Thus, body of the user 104 reacts to these variations in the balancingboard 104 in various ways. To sense and capture the user 104's reaction,the balancing board 102 includes a first set of sensors (for example,sensors 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 144, and 146).

Examples of the first set of sensors may include but are not limited toone or more of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a microphone, a pressuresensor, a force sensor, a camera, a depth sensor for gesturerecognition, a biometric sensor, and a proximity sensor. The first setof sensors may at least in part be attached in operation to the body ofthe user 104. In other words, one or more sensors from the first set ofsensors may be attached to a body of user 104 at different locations.For example, the sensors 128 and 130 are attached to feet of the user104, the sensors 132 and 134 are attached to hips of the user 104, thesensors 136 and 138 are attached to hands of the user 104, the sensor140 is attached near the heart of the user 104, and the sensor 142 isattached to a head of the user 104. Each of these sensors sense andcapture reaction of the respective body parts of the user 104 inresponse to variation in orientation, movement, and acceleration of thebalancing board 102. The sensors 128 and 130, for example, sense andcapture corrective movement of user 104's feet to maintain his/herbalance in response to variations in the balancing board 102.Additionally, the sensor 140, which may be a microphone, may capture theuser 104's heartbeat rate or may capture the user 104's voice commands.It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that location of thefirst set of sensors is not limited to the examples given above.

Additionally, one or more sensors from the first set of sensors may beinstalled at different locations in a room where the user 104 isoperating the balancing board 102. For example, the sensor 144 may beinstalled on a wall 150, the sensor 146 may be installed on a wall 152,and the sensor 148 may be installed on a wall 154. These sensors alsocapture the user 104's reaction in response to variations in thebalancing board 102. The sensors 144, 146, and 148 may, for example,include camera, depth sensors, and microphones. In an embodiment, thefirst set of sensors may be selectively activated or deactivated basedon the balancing board level that is in operation.

The first set of sensors are further coupled, via wired or wirelessarrangement, to a signal receiving arrangement (not shown in FIG. 1)included within the balancing board 102. The signal receivingarrangement may include one or more transceiver devices. The signalreceiving arrangement receives one or more sensor signals from the firstset of sensors. The one or more sensor signals are indicative of one ormore reactions of the user 104 when he/she is operating the balancingboard 102. The signal receiving arrangement may further be coupled, viawired or wireless arrangement, to the processor 118.

The first set of sensors may communicate the user reaction to theprocessor 118, via the signal receiving arrangement, based on which theprocessor 118 may automatically change balancing board level.Alternatively, the first set of sensors may directly communicate withthe processor 118. For example, if user reaction sensed and captured bythe first set of sensors indicate that the user 104 is easily able tomaintain his/her balance while the Beginner level is in operation, theprocessor 118 may automatically and gradually increase the balancingboard level to Easy, thereafter to Medium, and finally to Tough. On thecontrary, the balancing board level may be decrease based on userreaction. For example, if heartbeat rate of the user 104 as captured bythe sensor 140 exceeds a predefined safe rate, the balancing board levelmay be decreased or operation of the balancing board 102 may beautomatically stopped. By way of another example, the user 104's facegestures, for example shock or awe, may also be used to automaticallydecrease balancing board level.

In an embodiment, balancing board levels may be changed in response toone or more of gesture and vocal commands received from the user 104.The sensor 140 may be a microphone, the sensors 144 and 146 may becameras and the sensor 148 may be a depth sensor. These sensors alone orin combination may be used to capture the user 104's gesture and vocalcommands.

The processor 118 may have pre-stored instructions regarding gesture orvocal commands. Alternatively, these instructions can be configured onthe balancing board 102 by user 104. For example, a gesture command of“thumbs up” may be interpreted as “increase the balancing board level”command. Thus, when the user 104 makes “a thumbs up” gesture, theprocessor 118 may increase the balancing board level. Similarly, agesture command of “thumbs down” may be interpreted as “decrease thebalancing board level.” Thus, when the user 104 makes “a thumbs down”gesture, the processor 118 may decrease the balancing board level. Byway of another example, a gesture command of “touching nose” may beinterpreted as “stop operation of the balancing board 102.” In additionto gesture commands, voice commands of the user 104 may be used tochange balancing board level. For example, the user 104 may shout out“BEGINNER” to activate the beginner level and similarly for otherlevels. By way of another example, the user 104 may shout out “START” tostart operation of the balancing board 102 and the user 104 may shoutout “STOP” to stop operation of the balancing board 102.

Balancing board level may also be changed automatically by the processor116 after a predefined time period. For example, the balancing boardlevel may be increased after every two minutes of operation. The user104 may also change balancing board levels by using a mobile device 156.The mobile device 156 may include a balancing board software to controlthe balancing board 102. The mobile device 156 communicates the user104's selection to the processor 118, based on which processor 118changes the balancing board level. In an embodiment, the mode ofoperation of the balancing board 102 may be synchronized with the musicplaying on the mobile device 156. In another embodiment, a gyroscope oran accelerometer and a microphone installed in the mobile device 156 maybe used to capture and sense the user 104's reaction.

In an embodiment, the processor 118 may use a speaker (not shown inFIG. 1) included in the balancing board 102 to indicate a change ofbalancing board level by outputting a predefined sound. For example, onebeep may indicate change to an Easy level, two beeps may indicate changeto a Medium level, and three beeps may indicate change to a Tough level.This may be helpful in mentally preparing the user 104 regarding changein the balancing board level.

In addition to the first set of sensors for use to sense and captureuser reaction, the balancing board 102 includes a second set of sensors(not shown in FIG. 1) that are used to determine orientation, movement,and acceleration of the balancing board 102. Examples of the second setof sensors may include, but are not limited to, an accelerometer, agyroscope, a microphone, a pressure sensor, a force sensor, a camera, adepth sensor for gesture recognition, a biometric sensor, a proximitysensor. The second set of sensors is coupled, via wired or wirelessarrangement, to the signal receiving arrangement that receives one ormore signals from the second set of sensors. The signal receivingarrangement is further coupled, via wired or wireless arrangement, tothe processor 118.

The second set of sensors may be placed on body of the user 104, in thebalancing board 102, or anywhere in the room used for operating thebalancing board 104. For example, the balancing board 102 may have apressure or force sensors placed below the first surface 106 to sensethe pressure exerted by the user 104's feet on the first surface 106. Byway of another example, the balancing board 102 includes a gyroscope oran accelerometer to determine orientation, movement, and acceleration ofthe balancing board 102. In an embodiment, a gyroscope or anaccelerometer of the mobile device 156 may be used to determine this.The second set of sensors may communicate this data to the processor 118via the sensor receiving arrangement. Alternatively, the second set ofsensors may directly communicate this data to the processor 118. A topview 200 of the example balancing board 102 is shown in FIG. 2, inaccordance with an embodiment. Referring now to FIG. 3, communicationbetween the balancing board 102 and an electronic device 302 is shown,in accordance with an embodiment. Examples of the electronic device 302may include but are not limited to a mobile device (for example, mobiledevice 156), a computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a Tablet,and a Laptop. The user reaction sensed and captured by a first set ofsensors 304 and the data captured for the balancing board 102 by asecond set of sensors 306 is communicated to the electronic device 302.It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the first set ofsensors 304 and the second set of sensors 306 are the same as the firstand second set of sensors disclosed in FIG. 1.

The first set of sensors 304 and the second set of sensors 306 maycommunicate the data to the processor 118 directly or via the signalreceiving arrangement (not shown in FIG. 2). The processor 118 mayfurther communicate this data to the electronic device 302.Alternatively, the first set of sensors 304 and the second set ofsensors 306 may communicate this data to the electronic device 302directly or via the signal receiving arrangement. The data may becommunicated on wired or wireless arrangement, namely wirelesscommunicating means, using various communication technologies. Examplesof communication technologies for such wireless means may include butare not limited to Bluetooth, Microwave, WiFi, WiMAX, CDMA, GSM, GPRS,and infrared.

In an embodiment, the data sensed and captured by the first set ofsensors 304 and the second set of sensors 306 may automatically becommunicated to a server (not shown in FIG. 3), which may then uploadthis information on the Internet. For example, after completion of everybalancing boarding level, the processor 118 may communicate the data tothe server, which may then upload this information on social networkingsite, like Facebook and Google+. The user 104 may use this feature tocompete with his/her peers on social networking sites.

After receiving this data, the electronic device 302 performs ananalysis to determine a medical condition of the user 104. For example,it may be determined that the user has hypertension, cervical or lumbarspondylosis. The electronic device 302 may also store this data in adatabase 308. The analysis may be performed automatically by theelectronic device 302 by comparing data captured for the user 104 withone or more of historic data for the user 104 stored in the database308, the data captured for other users having similar demographicprofile stored in the database 308, and benchmark data defined bymedical personnel stored in the database 308. Alternatively, the datareceived from the processor 118 may be analyzed by medical personnel.

Based on the analysis performed and the medical condition determined forthe user 104, the electronic device 302 may automatically design atraining program for the user 104. The training program may includevarious combinations of balancing board levels. Thereafter, theelectronic device 302 may communicate the designed training program tothe processor 118. Alternatively, medical personnel may design atraining program for the user 104 based on their analysis of the user104's data. In an embodiment, the electronic device 302 may communicatethe analysis to the processor 118. Thereafter, the processor 118 maydesign a training program for the user 104. After a training program hasbeen designed, the processor 118 activates one or more mode ofoperations of the balancing board 102.

As an example of setting training programs for the user 104, based onthe user 104's reaction captured by the first set of sensors 304 and thebalancing board data captures by the second set of sensors 306, theelectronic device 302 may determine that the user 104's reaction time isless than average. This may indicate a medical problem and thus theelectronic device 302 may configure a training program such that, theuser 104 starts with Beginner level of the balancing board 102 andgradually may progress to tougher balancing board levels. By way ofanother example, it may be determined that the user 104 is sufferingfrom cervical spondylosis. Thus, the electronic device 302 may design atraining program such that there are less jerky movements in thebalancing board 102 while in operation.

To facilitate training of the user 104, who may be a first time user,the processor 118 activates a lighting pattern 400 (as shown in FIG. 4)on the first surface 106. The lighting pattern 400 comprises lightingone or more portions of the first surface 106; for example, the firstsurface 106 can be optionally implemented as a white surface, and anperiphery of the second surface 108 is provided with a plurality oflight sources, for example Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), directed toilluminate the second surface 108 which then further reflects the lightto provide an impressive light show onto the floor surface 116. In anembodiment, the first surface 106 may be made up of transparent ortranslucent material, for example, glass or plastics material. Beneaththe first surface 106 are included a plurality of lighting means, forexample, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), Organic LEDs (OLEDs), and Neonlights. The processor 118 may then selectively activate or deactivateone or more of the lighting means to render different illuminated shapeson the first surface 106. This is further explained in detail inconjunction with FIG. 4. The user 104 may thus be guided to step onilluminated portions on the first surface 106 so that the user 104 canbe trained to operate the balancing board 102.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the lighting pattern 400 on the first surface106 of the balancing board 102 is shown, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment. The lighting pattern 400 may include a circle pattern 402, asquare pattern 404, a triangle pattern 406, and a cross pattern 408. Theprocessor 118 may selectively illuminate one or more of these patternsto guide the user 104 regarding stepping on the first surface 106.Additionally, one or more of these patterns may be illuminated based onthe current mode of operation of the balancing board 102 or a balancingboard level activated by the processor 118. For example, when theBeginner level is in operation, the frequency of illuminating the one ormore patterns may be less. However, when the Tough level is inoperation, the frequency of illuminating the one or more patterns may behigh.

In an embodiment, the shape of the illuminated pattern may be associatedwith the pressure that the user 104 needs to exert on the illuminatedpattern of the first surface 106. For example, the circle pattern 402may indicate that the user 104 needs to exert least amount of pressureon the circle pattern 402 on the first surface 106. By way of anotherexample, the cross pattern 408 may be indicate that the user 104 needsto exert maximum amount of pressure on the cross pattern 408 on thefirst surface 106. Thus, using the methodology described above, the user104 can be efficiently trained to operate the balancing board 102 byteaching the user 104 to exert the right amount of pressure on the firstsurface 106 for maintaining his/her balance while operating thebalancing board 102.

In FIG. 5, there is illustrated a safety mechanism 500 deployed by thebalancing board 102, in accordance with an example embodiment. Thesafety mechanism 500, for example, may include one or more airbags.While operating the balancing board 102, the user 104 may fall on thefloor surface 116 and may potentially injure himself/herself. To avoidsuch injuries, the balancing board 102 includes the safety mechanism500, which may be deployed based on the user's 104 reaction sensed andcaptured by the first set of sensors. Additionally, the safety mechanism500 may be deployed based on balancing board data captured by the secondset of sensors.

The safety mechanism 500 may be deployed by the one or more actuators.For example, based on the user 104's reaction captured by the first setof sensors, the actuator 126 may ignite a gas generator propellant torapidly inflate one or more airbags (for example, airbags 502, 504, 506,and 508) present in the balancing board 102, such that, the one or moreairbags can be deployed on the floor surface 116. The one or moreairbags may be deployed omni-directionally with respect to the balancingboard 102 on the floor surface 116. In this case, for example, each ofthe airbags 502, 504, 506, and 508 may be deployed on the floor surface116. Alternatively, in a more intelligent system, the one or moreairbags may be deployed only in a particular region on the floor surface116 based on the user 104's reaction. For example, based on the user104's reaction, the area on which the user 104 may fall is determinedand airbag 502 is accordingly deployed on the floor surface 116 tocushion the user 104's fall.

As an example of the method explained above, the sensor 142 attached tothe user 104's head may be a proximity sensor and thus may determine thedistance of the user 104's head from the floor surface 116. If thisdistance becomes less than a given threshold, the sensor 142 may triggerthe actuator 126 via the signal receiving arrangement and/or theprocessor 118 to deploy the one or more airbags. By way of anotherexample, the sensors 144, 146, and 148, which may be cameras and depthsensors which employ gesture recognition to predict that the user 104might fall and thus trigger the actuator 126 via the processor 118 todeploy the one or more airbags. The sensors 144, 146, and 148 may alsobe able to determine the region on the floor surface 116 whereat theuser 104 may fall. Thus, the sensors 144, 146, and 148 may triggeractuator 126 via the signal receiving arrangement and/or processor 118to deploy one or more of the airbags 502, 504, 506, and 508.

Those skilled in the art will realize that the above recognizedadvantages and other advantages described herein are merely exemplaryand are not meant to be a complete rendering of all of the advantages ofthe various embodiments.

In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments have beendescribed. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates thatvarious modifications and changes can be made without departing from thescope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly,the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrativerather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intendedto be included within the scope of the invention. The benefits,advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause anybenefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced arenot to be construed as a critical, required, or essential features orelements of any or all the claims.

1. A balancing board, comprising: a first surface for receiving one ormore feet of a user when said balancing board is in operation; a secondsurface including one or more outwardly curved forms for engaging with afloor surface when said balancing board is in operation, wherein saidsecond surface provides means for varying an orientation and movement ofthe balancing board relative to the floor surface; a signal receivingarrangement for receiving one or more sensor signals indicative of oneor more user reactions when operating the balancing board in reaction tosaid variations in the orientation and movement of the balancing board,wherein the user is supported upon the first surface of the balancingboard; a processor which is operable to receive said one or more sensorsignals from a first set of sensors, comprising one or more sensorsindicative of said one or more user reactions, wherein the processor isfurther operable to control means of changing a profile of the secondsurface; wherein said signal receiving arrangement is coupled to asecond set of sensors, comprising one or more sensors and is operable toreceive one or more signals from the second set of sensors, the secondset of sensors being operable to determine an orientation, movement, andacceleration of the balancing board, and to communicate with theprocessor via the signal receiving arrangement; and one or moreactuators, wherein the one or more sensors of the second set of sensorsare coupled to the signal receiving arrangement and the processor andwherein the one or more sensors of the second set are operable tocommunicate with the one or more actuators, said actuators beingoperable to modify one or more outwardly curved forms of the balancingboard. 2-21. (canceled)
 22. A balancing board, comprising: a firstsurface for receiving one or more feet of a user when said balancingboard is in operation; a second surface including one or more outwardlycurved forms for engaging with a floor surface when said balancing boardis in operation, wherein said second surface provides means for varyingan orientation and movement of the balancing board relative to the floorsurface; a signal receiving arrangement for receiving one or more sensorsignals indicative of one or more of orientation, movement andacceleration of the balancing board, wherein the user is supported uponthe first surface of the balancing board; a processor which is operableto receive said one or more sensor signals from a first set of sensors,comprising one or more sensors indicative of said one or more oforientation, movement and acceleration, wherein the processor is furtheroperable to control means of changing a profile of the second surface;wherein the first set of sensors is operable to communicate with theprocessor via the signal receiving arrangement; and one or moreactuators, wherein the first set of sensors are coupled to the signalreceiving arrangement and the processor and are operable to communicatewith the one or more actuators, said actuators being operable to modifyone or more of the outwardly curved forms of the balancing board. 23.The balancing board as claimed in claim 22, wherein said balancing boardis operable to communicate with an electronic device for configuring abalancing board training program for the user based on a performanceanalysis of the user, wherein the training program comprises a pluralityof combinations of balancing board levels, wherein the electronic deviceis operable to communicate the training program to the processor. 24.The balancing board as claimed in claim 22, wherein the balancing boardis operable to be activated to present a lighting pattern on the firstsurface to facilitate training of the user, wherein the lighting patterncomprises lighting one or more portions of the first surface, the userstepping on the lighted one or more portions of the first surface fortraining.
 25. The balancing board as claimed in claim 22, wherein thefirst surface further comprises a peripheral outwardly projecting lip.26. The balancing board as claimed in claim 22, wherein the firstsurface further comprises a concave surface.
 27. The balancing board asclaimed in claim 22, wherein the first surface further comprises anunsmooth texture.
 28. The balancing board as claimed in claim 22,wherein each of the one or more actuators are operable to selectivelyretract or extend the one or more curved forms with a pistonarrangement.
 29. The balancing board as claimed in claim 22, wherein theone or more sensors of the first set of sensors comprises one or moreof: an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a microphone, a pressure sensor, aforce sensor, a camera, a depth sensor for gesture recognition, abiometric sensor, a proximity sensor.
 30. The balancing board as claimedin claim 22, wherein the balancing board is operable to change balancingboard levels in response to the user using a mobile device operable tocommunicate with the processor and comprising a software to control thebalancing board.
 31. The balancing board as claimed in claim 22, whereinsaid signal receiving arrangement is further operable to receive one ormore signals from a second set of sensors, the second set of sensorsbeing indicative of user reactions when operating the balancing board inreaction to said variations in the orientation, movement andacceleration of the balancing board, and operable to communicate withthe processor via the signal receiving arrangement.
 32. The balancingboard as claimed in claim 31, wherein said signal receiving arrangementis coupled to the second set of sensors being, at least in part,attached in operation to a body of the user for sensing user reactions.33. The balancing board as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processor isoperable to automatically change between balancing board levels based onthe user reactions sensed by the second set of sensors.
 34. Thebalancing board as claimed in claim 31, wherein the balancing board isoperable to communicate to an electronic device data sensedcorresponding to the balancing board by the first set of sensors and theuser reaction sensed by the second set of sensors, wherein theelectronic device is operable to perform analysis on the data fordetermining a medical condition of the user.
 35. The balancing board asclaimed in claim 31, wherein the one or more sensors of the second setof sensors are coupled to the signal receiving arrangement and theprocessor and are operable to communicate with the one or moreactuators.
 36. The balancing board as claimed in claim 35, wherein theone or more outwardly curved forms on second surface are defined, atleast in part, in profile by a volume of gas under pressure, wherein thevolume of gas is inflated or deflated in operation based upon which modeof operation for the balancing board is activated by the processor,wherein the one or more actuators are operable to inflate or deflate thevolume of gas to modify orientation and movement of the balancing board.37. The balancing board as claimed in claim 35, wherein the one or moreoutwardly curved forms on the second surface are solid, wherein the oneor more actuators are operable to selectively retract or extend the oneor more curved forms to modify orientation and movement of the balancingboard.
 38. The balancing board as claimed in claim 35, wherein thebalancing board includes a safety mechanism which is deployable based onfeedback sensed by the one or more sensors of the first set, the one ormore sensors of the second set, or both, and, wherein said one or moreactuators are operable to deploy the safety mechanism.
 39. The balancingboard as claimed in claim 38, wherein the safety mechanism comprisesairbags.
 40. A balancing method, comprising: engaging a floor surfacewith a second surface including one or more outwardly curved forms;varying orientation and movement of the balancing board relative to thefloor surface; with a signal receiving arrangement, receiving one ormore sensor signals indicative of one or more user reactions whenoperating the balancing board in reaction to varying orientation andmovement of the balancing board, wherein the user is supported upon thebalancing board opposite the second surface; with a processor, receivingsaid one or more sensor signals from a first set of sensors comprisingone or more sensors indicative of said one or more user reactions; andwith the processor, changing a profile of the second surface in responseto said one or more user reactions.